


A View to A Kill

by SandyWormbook



Category: James Bond (Craig movies), James Bond - All Media Types
Genre: Pre-Skyfall, Song: A View to a Kill (Duran Duran), Stone Circle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-30
Updated: 2019-07-30
Packaged: 2020-07-26 03:08:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20036914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SandyWormbook/pseuds/SandyWormbook
Summary: How Q and Bond first met at Skyfall.





	A View to A Kill

As James drove up to the entrance of Skyfall, he saw the once-familiar sight of the stag statue that topped the gate. Laid out in the valley below was his childhood home and the nearby chapel and the lake and even further afield, the stone circle. The landscape was topped by a grey, drizzly winter sky. The drive had been pleasant but long and he was ready to unfold himself from the car and sit down with some supper.

When Kincade had called him, he was surprised but happy to hear from the gamekeeper who had always treated him kindly as a child. He still wasn’t sure how Kincade had managed to persuade him to visit the old estate in the middle of December, but here he was after many years. He’d only stay a few days and return to London — he had no desire to relive childhood memories of the Christmases before his parents died.

As James was fetching his bag from the car, Kincade appeared around the corner of the house.

“James! Thanks for making the trip up! I trust the drive was pleasant, at least in that lovely car,” the large man bellowed.

“Yes, the drive was nice after I got out of the hellhole of London traffic. You can’t really open her up it the city, but the roads up here in Scotland make the drive worthwhile, “ James replied.

“Let’s get you inside. I stopped by to pop some food in the fridge and start a fire. I can you set up with a pork pie and a cup of tea if you’d like.”

James said, “I hope that cup of tea won’t be the only drink you’re offering me today.”

Kincade chuckled and said, “Well, I might have stocked up more than the fridge.”

—

The next day, as late afternoon was darkening into evening, found Bond out on the moor with a hunting rifle in hand. Kincade had asked him to fetch a stag and suggested trying his luck by the stone circle, a favorite spot for grazing. Bond rested against one of the old stones thinking he better have some luck soon. He was losing the light on this solstice-short day.

The ancient stone circle was modest, only around 30 feet in diameter and its stones were slightly taller than Bond. James had played around the stones as a child, dodging around them in chase games or just resting against the sun-warmed slabs while reading a book. It had presumably been built as a sacred space but the open-air circle always felt friendly to him, unlike the angular, heavy lines of the nearby chapel.

Bond looked up as he heard rustling in the heather and saw that not far from his hiding spot was a stag. In its perfection, it could have been the model for Skyfall’s gate statue. Bond raised his rifle and fired. A shot rang out and the stag jumped, stumbled and then ran right past him into the circle. Bond was surprised. He’d had a clear shot and should have killed the animal outright. He wondered if the old hunting rifle was defective. He hadn’t tested it before setting out. No matter, he had to get after the wounded deer to put it out of its misery.

When Bond ran into the stone circle to follow the path of the deer, there was sudden whooshing noise as a huge bonfire started. The flames were uncanny in their ferocity and puzzling by their lack of visible fuel. Instead of the expected deer, there was a young man staring into the flames and dancing around the fire. The man was crazed; his limbs flailing and his dark hair tossing from side to side.

Bond stepped into the path of the dancer and grabbed him by the arm. The man stopped except for heaving, deep breaths.

The man asked, “Are you real? Are you part of the dream?”

Bond said, “Of course I’m real. What dream? Hold on, let’s start simple. I’m James, James Bond. Who are you?”

Stammering, the young man said, “I’m Sam. I’m not sure of anything any more, but I’m Sam. I’ve been in a dream, trapped. Then I heard a shot, ran into the circle and felt myself dancing.”

Bond looked closely at Sam, especially at his eyes. Sam was upset. He appeared exhausted, but not addled.

Bond asked, “What else do you remember?”

Sam answered, “It’s not clear. Last I remember, me and a college mate came to see the stones. He thought it would be a lark to watch the equinox sunrise here. He got bored and started messing with the stones just as the sun was coming up. I tried to stop him and pushed him. He fell out of the circle and I felt myself… changing. It’s all a dream from there. Running on the moors, day after day… on four legs? Oh my god, what was I?“

Bond suddenly recalled that Kincade had told him about an incident that summer when a drugged up student from Edinburgh claimed that his friend had disappeared on the moors. The town had mounted a search but given the apparent unreliability of the student, they’d called off the search after a day.

Sam shivered, evidently feeling the chill even though they were standing next to a raging fire. Bond handed his outer layer to Sam.

“Let’s get you back to the lodge”, said Bond, wrapping his arm around Sam and pushing him along. As they were about to leave the circle, Sam stopped.

“I can’t move past the stones, I can’t get out of the circle. I’m trapped… still trapped! That’s what the voice meant,” Sam wailed.

“Calm down. Take it slow. Tell me about the voice. What did it say?”

It started to snow. Bond saw flaky snowflakes collecting in Sam’s hair.

Sam started to cry. Big crystal tears. Through the sobs, Sam spoke quietly, “There was one night that I was drawn to the circle. There was a big man, he must have been a local, talking. I didn’t see anyone else but another voice said, “He’s ours now”. The man pleaded with them, “Let him go, please. He’s just a boy, he didn’t mean any harm.” The voice then said, “A fatal kiss, a dance into the flames, this is all we need. A chance to find a phoenix for the flame and a chance to die. This we can give him.”

Sam’s eyes widened in realization. He stood face to face with Bond and then seized Bond’s face in both hands. Sam kissed James soundly, desperately and before Bond had time to recover, Sam leapt into the flames. 

Without a thought, Bond lunged after him. The flames disappeared and the two were standing unharmed at the very center of the circle. 

Then a voice, “We have what we need. James, you and your family have protected both this circle and Albion for generations. We release this one to you. Sam, you’ll always be tied to this circle in spirit, but you can roam the whole Earth if you wish. You protected the stones. Now join James and protect Albion. We shared your dreams, we know you have the heart and mind required. Go now, but return when you are drawn here, knowing that you will always have free passage from our side to yours. “

—

Dazed, Bond and Sam left the circle and walked back to the lodge.

Kincade greeted them loudly at the door, “James! And you must be…?”

“Sam. I'm Sam.”

“Hello, Sam, welcome to Skyfall. I sent James out for a stag and he’s bought you back. He’s done well. I’m glad you’ve found your way back. “ said Kincade.

What an odd thing to say, Sam thought. The voice sounded familiar... wait, the man from the dream!

A moment later, as Bond’s head was turned, Kincade winked at Sam and smiled broadly.

—

Sometime later found James and a bundled-up Sam relaxed in the library, drinking fortified hot chocolate. Sam was staring into the fire. A normal, wood burning, crackling fire.

“I don’t understand. I jumped into the fire thinking I was going to die. My chance to die, to be freed from the dream,” said Sam thoughtfully. “But why the phoenix… I don’t understand what the voice meant about a phoenix.”

Bond caught Sam’s eyes and grinned. “The phoenix. That’s me. My hobby is resurrection.”

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the Duran Duran Bond theme of "A View to a Kill" and Ben Whishaw's appearance in the video for Real by Years & Years (go watch!).


End file.
